Support for the JScript formatting commands is improved. The CTRL+K keyboard shortcut and the CTRL+D keyboard shortcut are now supported for stand-alone JScript (.js) files and for JScript in .aspx pages.

Support is added for Microsoft SQL Server 2008. You can connect to SQL Server 2008 in Server Explorer. The drag-and-drop operation from Server Explorer now supports code generation for the data types that are specific to SQL Server 2008. These data types include the following:

Project templates have been added so that you can use ASP.NET Dynamic Data controls. Visual Studio now includes project templates for creating Web sites and Web applications that use the new ASP.NET Dynamic Data feature.

Visual C++

New features and functionalities

The release version of Visual C++ 2008 Feature Pack is included in Visual Studio 2008 SP1.

Visual C#

New features and functionalities

This service pack adds debugging support for the following items:

Range variables in queries

Anonymous types

Generic type arguments

This service pack adds a new Visual C# IDE feature that provides a richer set of error information about your code. Specifically, this feature displays the expression-level errors that occur in open files according to your code. These expression-level errors were previously reported only after a build operation.

Changed features and functionalities

In earlier versions of Visual Studio, the task list is populated by using the ToDo tasks that are specified in open files. In this service pack, the Visual C# IDE extends this functionality. The Visual C# IDE populates the task list by using the ToDo tasks that are specified in the whole solution.

Improved features and functionalities

This service pack improves the performance of the Enumerable.Cast<T> method by disabling the primitive value conversions and the explicitly defined user conversions. An example of a primitive value conversion is a conversion from the int data type to the long data type.

This service pack improves the performance of the Where standard query operator and of the Select standard query operator.

Visual Basic

New features and functionalities

A code example editor for Visual Basic code is added to the Visual Studio 2008 IDE.

New XML objects are added to the Schema Wizard.

Support for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 is added. This service pack lets you connect to and then work with SQL Server 2008 databases.

Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) Designer

New features and functionalities

The Properties window now contains the Events tab. The Events tab lets you create, assign, and review events.

The Properties window now lets you sort properties alphabetically by property name and by category.

The Rename operations and the Go To Definition feature have been updated to work better with XAML. Rename operations in the code-behind file rename the XAML definition. Additionally, you can move to the XAML declaration of a control by using the Go To Definition feature on an instance in the code-behind file.

You can now drag controls from the toolbox to the designer even when the XAML view is active. You can even drag controls from the toolbox to the XAML editor.

Snaplines are now implemented for control spacing. This implementation lets you easily put a control at a fixed distance from other controls or from container edges.

The Expander control now expands automatically when the control is selected or when you drag another control over the Expand control. In this manner, you can design the contents of the Expander control at design time without affecting the IsExpanded property at runtime.

You can now delete existing grid rows and columns by dragging the gridlines off the grid rail. This action maintains the positions of all contained controls on the design.

Improved features and functionalities

Many stability and performance improvements have been made to Visual Studio 2008 SP1. A key area of improvements includes faster, more robust document loading and more accurate error reporting.

Windows SDK

Improved features and functionalities

Visual Studio Debugger

Changed features and functionalities (apply to all SKUs)

The Step Into Specific feature and the Step Filtering feature for managed properties and for managed operators are changed. The debugger avoids stepping into property getters and into operator overloads. To override this behavior, you can click Step Into-> in the shortcut menu at debug time.

Additionally, you can disable this behavior completely. To do this, follow these steps:

In Visual Studio 2008, click Options on the Tools menu.

Expand Debugging, and then click General.

Disable the "step into" behavior in the General pane.

Improved features and functionalities (apply to all VS Standard and later-version SKUs)

This update contains improvements for handling symbols and sources from Microsoft Public Servers. An option is added that easily enables symbol and source downloading from Microsoft Public Symbol Servers. You can also cancel symbol downloads that take a long time. To configure this option, follow these steps:

In Visual Studio 2008, click Options on the Tools menu.

Expand Debugging, and then click General.

Disable the "step into" behavior in the General pane.

This update contains improvements for the Debugger Automation model. This update adds the Automation model support for address breakpoints and for Expression Evaluation on non-current threads or frames.

Data Projects

New features and functionalities

ADO.NET Entity Designer

The ADO.NET Entity Designer is added in all Visual Studio 2008 editions. The ADO.NET Entity Designer includes the following features.

Entity DesignerBy using Entity Designer, you can take the following actions:

Generate an entity data model from a database and then display the model on the designer surface.

Validate models and mappings at design time.

Optionally embed Entity Framework metadata artifacts in the output assembly. Entity Framework metadata artifacts that you can embed include the following:

Conceptual schema definition language (CSDL) artifacts

Mapping specification language (MSL) artifacts

Store schema definition language (SSDL) artifacts

Copy Entity Framework metadata artifacts to the output directory.

Update generated model and mappings when tables in the database change.

The Entity Mapping Details tool window In the Entity Mapping Details tool window, you can take the following actions:

View and edit mappings for entities and for associations.

Map an Entity hierarchy to a single table by using Table per Hierarchy (TPH) mapping.

Map an Entity hierarchy to multiple tables by using Table per Type (TPT) mapping.

Map entities to stored procedures.

Apply multiple conditions to a table mapping.

Split entities across tables.

Map associations.

The Model Browser tool window In the Model Browser tool window, you can take the following actions:

Visualize the model as a tree hierarchy.

Easily browse to entities, properties, and associations on the designer from the model browser and vice versa.

Support The ADO.NET Entity Designer adds support for the following:

Microsoft SQL Server Compact Edition

The following new types in SQL Server 2008:

Date

Time

DateTime2

DateTimeOffset

Filestream

Object Relational Designer (O/R Designer)

The O/R Designer in all Visual Studio 2008 editions supports the following new types in Microsoft SQL Server 2008:

Date

Time

DateTime2

DateTimeOffset

Filestream

XML editor and XSLT debugger

The XML Schema Explorer is added to all Visual Studio 2008 editions except Express editions. The XML Schema Explorer includes the following features:

Presentation of schema sets in a tool window that shows a hierarchical view of an XML Schema Definition (XSD) and of related XSDs.

The ability to search over schema sets.

Sorting features, filtering features, and navigation features for schema sets.

Integration with the XML editor to enable navigation from the tree to the XML editor and vice versa.

Improved features and functionalities

XML Editor and XSLT debugger

Multiple customer requests and software updates were applied in the XML editor and in the XSLT debugger.

Known issues in this service pack and how to work around them

For multiple editions of Visual Studio 2008, Microsoft supports only those configurations in which all editions are at the same service-pack level. If a computer is running multiple language versions of Visual Studio 2008, multiple editions of Visual Studio 2008, or both, all the editions must be at the release level or at the SP1 level to be supported by Microsoft.

When you add a new master page to the project, and you select a parent master page for the new master page, the default value of the AutoEventWireup attribute is set to False.

302554

You receive a "Could not find CSS class selector "<Class_Name>"" error message when you click Go To Definition in the DIV class name.

303796

When you debug a Web service, Visual Studio automatically updates the Web references in a Web client application that runs on the same computer.

304108

You receive an "attribute is invalid - The value is invalid according to its datatype 'NmToken'" error message when you add more than one value to the traceOutputOptions attribute in the Web.config file.

307231

You cannot add a nested master page as a new item in Web Application projects.

308786

When you open two or more aspx pages, images are not displayed in Design view of Visual Studio 2008.

If you select a control inside a table that is inside a panel, the control is selected incorrectly in Source mode.

327560

A HTML page does not displayed correctly after you double-click a button in design view.

328944

The Code View button and the Design View button are not enabled, and the F7 key and the SHIFT+F7 keyboard shortcut do not work.

328999

You insert a <reference> tag to JavaScript file to point an embedded JavaScript file in a project in Visual Studio 2008. When you compile the project, you may receive an error message that resembles the following:

Unable to copy file "obj\Debug\ClassLibrary.dll" to "bin\Debug\ClassLibrary.dll". The process cannot access the file 'bin\Debug\ClassLibrary.dll' because it is being used by another process.

This problem occurs when both files are open in the Visual Studio 2008 IDE.

330457

In design mode of Visual Studio 2008, the "View Code" right shortcut menu entry is not always visible

330792

The NavigateURL property of the Hyperlink control incorrectly resolves the URL.

331383

JavaScript references in embedded assemblies are not followed

331523

JavaScript IntelliSense contains a typographical error for the fontcolor method and for the fontsize method.

331534

JavaScript IntelliSense does not display some members of the RegExp object.

332864

ASP.NET rendering sometimes does not display pages that use nested master pages correctly

332941

Javascript IntelliSense is turned off if the Navigation Bar option is disabled

You construct an expression tree node for a new expression that uses the "System.Void " type, the expression tree node is constructed. When you compile the expression tree node, the expression compiler crashes.

When you use the component designer in an ASP.NET project, the Visual Basic Power Pack PrintForm component is shown in the toolbox.

Visual Studio Debugger

Connect ID

Description

307998

You may not remove a breakpoint from a Microsoft ASP.NET application when you debug the application.

308138

If you have two files that have the same name in different folders, breakpoints work only in one of the files.

310644

The DataView visualizer is not displayed correctly.

301865

You may encounter a problem when you use breakpoints on a computer that is running Windows Vista.

319295

When the Microsoft symbol store is configured in Visual Studio and Visual Studio is running in Windows Vista, Visual Studio always displays the symbol license agreement.

315555

You debug JavaScript by attaching the debugger to Iexplorer.exe by using Visual Studio 2008. If multiple script files that have the same name are loaded, breakpoints do not persist on the correct script file when the page is refreshed.

320815

The StartupInfo.wShowWindow flag has different values when the program is started by using the Start Without Debugging option or the Start Debugging option.

333493

You cannot redirect an application by using standard input (STDIN) and standard output (STDOUT) for debugging.

Visual Studio SDK

Connect ID

Description

320999

When you merge application code that involves method declared in an abstract generic class, A NullReferenceException error occurs, and the AspNET_Merge.exe utility fails.

Supported operating systems

Note If you must have support for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Community Technology Preview (CTP), you must have Windows Server 2003 SP2 installed.

Installation requirements

A licensed copy of one of the supported Visual Studio 2008 products must be installed on the destination computer.

Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1 or a later version of Windows Installer must be installed on the destination computer. For more information, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site:

Visual Studio 2008 SP1 support

Administrator deployment of Visual Studio 2008 SP1

The Visual Studio 2008 SP1 is a conditional download manager and update installer. Visual Studio 2008 SP1 detects and installs only relevant updates applicable to the computer on which it is running. For administrator deployment, create a full package layout on the server computer. To create a full package layout of Visual Studio 2008 SP1, follow these steps:

Download the VS90sp1_KB945140.exe file to a temporary folder on a computer that connects to the Internet. For example, save the file in the C:\VS90SP1 folder.

Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.

Note In Windows Vista, if you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.

Type the following command to download all Visual Studio 2008 SP1 packages:

VS90sp1-KB945140-ENU.exe /createlayout FullTargetFolderPath /passive

Note The placeholder FullTargetFolderPath represents the target folder for the package layout. For example, type the following command:

VS90sp1-KB945140-ENU.exe /createlayout c:\VS90SP1\Layout /passive

When you follow these steps, you download the complete Visual Studio 2008 SP1 packages, you store the packages in the folder that you specify, and you do not install Visual Studio 2008 SP1. These packages include the SP1 Setup program (SPInstaller.exe).

Then, to deploy the update to the client computers, follow these steps:

Copy the created Layout folder to a shared network location.

Run SPInstaller.exe from the client computers by using the following command: